Easy Fingerless Mitts....

 What a simple knitted project these little fingerless mitts are!

 Knitted flat and sewn up along the thumb side,

 they are a perfect beginner pattern!

I knitted this pair with

1 x 50gm ball of Patons Australia Jet (70% Wool, 30% Alpaca)

and a pair of  4.5 mm (US 7) needles.

You can find the pattern by Roxanne Richardson

on Ravelry Here

I am really enjoying doing a bit of knitting again....

I am also working on a couple of crochet projects and

the ever growing tunisian crochet dr who scarf :) 

It has been cold and rainy here the perfect weather for working with yarn,

be it hook, needle or nook!

have a happy day

~ Gillian ♥

warm bread and a little book love....

 My bread making skills are growing each time I make a loaf,

I know I still have a lot to learn, but now the bread I am turning out of the tin is so much better than my first efforts.  This loaf was made using my Kitchen Aid, with no hand kneading at all. 

The only problem with home baked bread that I can see is that it just doesn't last very long....

because every slice is devoured and enjoyed :)

  I finally gave in and ordered a copy of

down to earth

by Rhonda Hetzel

and it arrived TODAY - yay!

 Guess where my head will be buried for the next little while ;)

all I can say is LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!

I'm off to read my new book

have a happy day

~ Gillian ♥

Prism Scarf....

 I really enjoyed working with knitting needles again
to make this cute little scarf.

I know there are a couple of small mistakes and maybe my tension isn't perfect...but hey, its warm and soft and pretty :)  and I am sure in time my knitting skills will improve, at least I hope so..lol!

I used almost 4 balls of Lincraft Prism (wool/soy) and 6mm needles

and the pattern can be found on the Lincraft website Here

My scarf measures approx 11cm x 185cm (unblocked)

I really love the way the colours of the wool worked with the stripe pattern of the scarf and it was a joy to work from start to finish.

I hope you are having a lovely day,

~ Gillian ♥

Giant Granny Square Blanket....

 I finally finished my giant granny square blanket a little while ago, but I have been waiting for a good dry day to take some photos.  So pleased to have this blanket complete :)

 It is 182.9 cm (6 feet) square 

and weighs approx 2.85kg! (heavy but cuddly)

 made by holding two strands together.
Repeated colour pattern for the main body of blanket is -
Red & Cream x 2
Cream & Cream x 2
Brown & Cream x 2
Cream & Cream x 2

My granny square has 2ch in each corner and 1ch in between each granny cluster.

For the Border - (holding two strands together as per the blanket) First Round - I worked htr (UK/aust) in each tr (UK/aust) and chain space, with 1htr, 2ch, 1htr in corners. work another two rounds 1htr in each htr of previous round and 1htr,2ch,1htr in each corner.

It has worked up beautifully soft and chunky :)
I have used this yarn before for other projects,  and I know it wears beautifully and washes well.
That is why I was keen to create this blanket using Coton-a,

even though I know it would require a ‘LOT’ of balls!
I love how the cream & colour hooked together look like red & white packing string.

Made using Sullivans Coton-a and 6mm hook.

Hope you are having a creative day

~ Gillian ♥

Two pointy sticks.....

 I've been toying with the idea of picking up some knitting needles again...

It has been a few years since I knitted a scarf
and even then it was only Garter Stitch.

When I was in high school, my mum and I went off to evening classes to learn everything you could want to know about knitting....

only thing was we seemed to spend the whole week knitting little sample squares ready for the next class and I got a bit feed up with only making them and not a real project.

This made me put my needles away for years and

I forgot almost everything I had learned except for a few basic stitches.

Recently I have been falling in love with many of the knitted projects on Ravelry and this morning I was reading Omlair's blog and her post inspired me to get on with it and relearn how to knit!  So off I headed down to Lincraft and bought some wool and picked up a leaflet and came home and started :)

.........................................

I am making a simple rib scarf called Prism Scarf (named after the yarn used)

and using Prism yarn, it is a worsted weight wool & Soybean yarn and has a lovely colour change working through the balls and I am using size 6mm needles

The pattern can be found on the Lincraft website Here

Actually I have found the rhythm of knitting enjoyable once again and hopefully I'll soon have another scarf to wear :)

Bye for now

~ Gillian ♥

a little handwarmer love.....

 What a great pattern!

so fast and easy you can crochet them in an evening.

 I whipped these up last night with some of the left over yarn from my wool eater blanket.

As today was a rainy cold winters day, I enjoyed wearing them.

I think I'll pull out some other colours and work up a few more pairs.

You can find the pattern by creativeyarn

on Ravelry Here
and on creativeyarn's blog Here
The pattern only has the scalloped edging on the finger end of the gloves, I also added it to the foundation edge. 
..............................

I thought I would show you my current big project for this winter.
I am making my son a Vintage Dr Who Scarf
(Tom Baker season 16)

I love these gorgeous 1970s colours :)

The original scarf was knitted, but I'm not much of a knitter so am working it in Tunisian Crochet Purl Stitch...this is also the first time I've made anything in Tunisian Crochet and I'm quite pleased with how the front side of the purl actually looks quite similar to knitting purl stitch.
I've got a long way to go, If you are familiar with Dr Who you will know this is an extremely long scarf, and so far I am only about 20% of the way.

Have a great week everyone

~ Gillian ♥

sweet little hat for a sweet little girl....

 Last night I worked up this sweet little hat for a dear little girl....

she makes our whole family smile each time we see her ♥

 The pattern for this hat is called

Any Size, Any Yarn Hat

because you can make it using any type of yarn and you can make it in any size you want from micro preemie to adult male as all of the measurements have been worked out in the pattern.

I love the way the front post stitch is worked in this pattern, it really keeps the pattern interesting and it is so quick to make.  The designer, Thomasina Cummings has done a wonderful job with this pattern and I would have happily purchase more of her designs to work with in the future.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry Here

and for the flower I used Mel Paton's free flower pattern

which is also available on Ravelry Here and on her Blog Here

For this hat I used lincraft cosy wool 8ply (100gm ball) & 4.5mm hook

I worked the 6-12month size and I used a little over 1/2 of the ball of wool.

Have a creative day

~ Gillian ♥

a little kitchen love....

Last week I was given a big bag full of Chokos, we have been enjoying eating them but as we had plenty I decided I would make some Choko pickles.

I found this easy and really simple recipe Here. 

So cut up the Chokos and Onions last night and soaked them as per the recipe. 

This morning I got to work at making a batch.  It was so easy and really fun, I haven't made pickles for several years and had almost forgotten to sense of pride filling those little bottles gives you.  Preserving food is such a simple and worthwhile process, when you have your own veg garden or are given some from a friend's garden.  I know my friend who gave me the chokos will be pleased to receive a couple of bottles of  choko pickles in return for sharing her lovely garden produce...

This recipe made 12 & a half 200ml bottles of Delicious Pickles.... I might try the same recipe when our cauliflowers are ready to be picked.

have a happy day

~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL - finished!

My wool eater is finally finished!

 it is 146cm square and weighs 1698gms

I'm pleased with the edging,

I think the straight edge gives it a really finished look.

A big thank you to everyone who has been so interested in this project, it always feels amazing to finish a blanket, it is already in use in our home.

I may be finished this blanket, but if you would like to make one

it is not too late to  join in on this Crochet Along

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.
there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL
my ravelry project page for this project can be found here

Have a happy weekend everyone

~ Gillian ♥

Autumn Reflections Doily.....

 This is such a sweet pattern to work...

 It is called Autumn Reflections

is my first attempt at making a doily.

and the recipient was as pleased as I had hoped :)

I really like that it has two interesting patterns in it,

the filet flower in the middle and then the shells around the outside....

I used Cébélia Cotton size 10 & a 1.75mm hook

I forgot to measure it exactly, but it is approx 20-25cm in diameter.

The pattern for Autumn Reflections by  Cylinda Mathews

can be found on Ravelry here

Have a lovely week!

~ Gillian ♥

Ribbed Cowl 'aka' Coffee Cozy Cowl....

 I have finished another little project...

this one was a quick one to work up.

 I adapted a pattern for a coffee cozy (see below)

to make this cowl.

 I really enjoyed working the ribbing made of  fpdc & bpdc stitch

 and think I may make another couple of these cowls.

I used 2.85 balls of Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Silk (discontinued)

& a 4.5mm hook

I followed the pattern except for the following changes

I started with a chain of 110 and just worked until it was a width I was happy with.

It measures - folded flat 32cm across, 66cm around, 16.5cm high

below is a coffee cozy I made using the same pattern

You can find the free pattern for this cozy

on Ravelry Here

Designed by Theresa Grant

hope you are having a lovely day,

~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 8ish...

This is last of the scalloped rounds on  my wool eater,

I will now begin working my edging.

I have added another two rounds of pattern (4 actual rounds) 1 round of duck egg blue and one of  olive green.  My blanket now measures approx 135cm square & weighs 1474gms.

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been interested in this project, I don't  normally post so many pictures of one project...and you have been so generous with your comments x :).  I will be glad to wind up this blanket as I have so many other things I am ready to start working on, but it has been such a worthwhile piece to make and I would really recommend it to you as a project, working with the little 'weekly' or 'not so weekly' ;) time frames  of a CAL seems to be a good way to go, and being able to follow along with others who are working the same project is a great source of encouragement and very helpful if you need to ask questions.

If you are interested in joining in on this Crochet Along

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

Have a creative week

~ Gillian ♥

Granny Shrug

 Well maybe it is more of a Cardigan than a Shrug ;)

I've been making this project for about a month, not that it takes long to make...but I usually have several things on the go at on time to keep me motivated.  This was a lovely relaxing project to work on and I decided to make it a little longer than the original.

This is a very clever yet simple pattern, made of two hexagons folded in half to form upside down L's which are joined down the centre back and along the top of the sleeve. 

The beauty of this design is you can use any type of yarn, just keep working until the hexagons are the right size for your requirements.

 I made a little loop at the front to hook around this lovely button I found at spotlight.

I used 7.5balls of Lincraft Veronica yarn and a 9mm

This made a lovely roomy plus sized cardigan for me :)

You can find the pattern on Here along with a helpful video

and the Ravelry project page is here

Thank you very much to Kirsty from the blog Thornberry

for sharing this lovely pattern.

Have a lovely day

~ Gillian ♥

long trip in the car = crochet :)

 We are on school holidays here at the moment....

and last weekend we made the long trip up to Brisbane in the car

to help celebrate my Mother in Laws 70th B'day.

7ish hours in the car one way!

Most of my crochet projects are big ones at the moment,

too big to take in the front passenger seat ;)

 so I decided we needed some more washcloths.

This was a great car trip project,

as it was small to hold, little concentration needed.

I used Moda Vera Beetle 50% Cotton 50% Acrylic

Holding two strands together & 5mm hook

I love using this yarn,

the mix of 50% Cotton, 50% Acrylic makes it soft and durable

I know with the acrylic in the mix it isn’t quite as absorbent as 100%cotton when dry, but when wet the cloth works really well and keeps its shape beautifully over many, many washes.

The pattern is a free one from Bernat you can find it here

(you will need to sign in to access the pattern, but its a great site if you haven't already used it)

and the Ravelry page is here

Have a great day!

~ Gillian ♥

ps...I'm teaching myself to bake bread at the moment, if anyone knows of a good book on bread making please feel free to leave me book title & author in the comments :)

wool eater blanket CAL week 7ish...

 It is taking a lot longer to get around my wool eater now, and I'm right out of step with the schedule for the CAL but most people seem to be working at their own pace and I think that is the best way to go anyway.  With each round I grow more and more pleased with how the blanket is turning out....It  is such a warm blanket and I know it will be a favourite when winter arrives, hopefully it will be finished with soon.  I'm still not sure how many more rounds I will do, but I have decided that I will not purchase any more yarn for it so that will help me decide.

So I added another two rounds since I last blogged about this project - light marl grey & Teal and each round of pattern (two actual rounds of crochet) now uses more than 1 full 100gm ball, so this pattern really does deserve its name ;)

The blanket now measures 129cm square and weighs approx 1290gms and is very warm!

If you are interested in joining in on this Crochet Along

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

~ Gillian ♥

 

 

Dorothy's Tail Neckerchief.....

 I finished this Neckerchief/shawl/scarf for my little miss and in time for her birthday

 It was a great piece to work, I really love the little 'spikes' and the asymmetric shape.  The shape makes it lets it wrap beautifully around the shoulders and the soft acrylic I used works really well with this pattern

 When the neckerchief is laid out flat on the floor it really does look like Dorothy the Dinosaurs tail, the way the asymmetric shape curls at the end (as you can see in the photo below) is a lovely design feature of this pattern also.

You can find the pattern by May Cheang Here on Ravelry there is a small cost for the pattern but it is well worth the purchase price as it is really well written.

I used 2.8 balls of Lincraft Surprise yarn and a 4.5mm hook

I have not blocked the finished piece, as I like the little spikes to curl.

Unblocked it measures 125cm x 116cm x 56cm

it weighs approx 270gms

this is a good size for my daughter who is 11yrs old and should be a useful size for many years.

I first blogged about this piece here

and my Ravelry page on this piece can be found here

I hope you are all having a creative week

~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 6ish...

 I seem to be getting more behind with my wool eater blanket...but hey, at least It is growing!

Another 3 rounds of pattern complete and it is now a lovely lap sized rug.

Each round is now taking a lot longer to work around as you would expect, but I'm still really enjoying working this rug and the pattern is very relaxing.
(you can click on the image if you'd like to see it a little larger)

The three colours I added this week are

Duck egg blue, Maroon & Gunmetal Grey

It now measures 112cm square and weighs 1077gms.

If you are interested in joining in on this Crochet Along

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

 Another interesting project I am working on at the moment is this Antique frame, it is around 90 - 100yrs old and comes from my mothers side of the family. Mum very generously gave it to me recently.  It is hand carved and we think it is made from Australian White Cedar (I'm not 100% certain on that but I will keep inquiring and hopefully know soon what timber it is made from).  I do know that it is Australian timber, and local to my home town.  I know this information because it was all written onto the back of the frame before it became water damaged and when the print was pulled out and discarded the information was as well....but my mother does recall that it was locally grown timber.

 I just love this pattern, and think it would make a marvelous doodling border for anyone who loves to zentangle or zendoodle or just doodle ;)

 The frame originally was held together with handmade nails, unfortunately there were some cracks in the corners and I had to have the corners re mitered and as I am planning on putting a mirror in the frame I need the frame to be strong, so the framer has made it nice and strong for me, ready for the next step in the project.  I don't normally like altering antiques like this but it was a case of leave it as it was and storing it in my garage forever or loose a little off each corner and make the piece able to be used once more and hopefully admired.  So I went with the second option for this particular piece.

The frame originally had a print in it, not a valuable one and it had also become water damaged over the years, but some pencil writing was revealed when the back was removed, I am clueless as to what it may mean, maybe it is the frame carvers name, or in some relation to the original print....I may never find out, but it seems to be as old as the frame....

My next step is to rub it back lightly with some steel wool and apply some sealer, then off to the glass cutters for a piece of mirror and then back to the framers for finishing off....then I hope to show you my beautiful old frame :)

Have a lovely week everyone

~ Gillian ♥